In response to a lawsuit filed in December 2023, actor Sofia Vergara has issued a counterclaim.  The legal dispute focuses on the renovations to Vergara’s Los Angeles home, which she purchased in 2020, while still married to her now ex-husband Joe Manganiello.  According to the initial claim, Vergara’s contractor, Reside Custom Homes (RCH), accuses the Modern Family alum of promissory fraud, breach of contract, and intentional interference with contractual relations.  Among the allegations, RCH claims that Vergara failed to pay two bills, one for $896,196.15 and the other for $657,245.23, associated with work already completed on the home.

In addition, RCH claims that Vergara exhibited emotional outbursts onsite and would routinely harass and humiliate employees and subcontractors.  RCH describes the alleged pervasive behavior as hostile, leading to a situation that left several employees wishing to leave their positions on the project.  While these allegations appear severe, Vergara shares a different perspective.  According to the star’s counterclaim, Vergara accuses RCH of attempting to embarrass her in public as a way of hiding the contractor’s egregious failures to uphold the contract and fix problems with the home.  Vergara claims that as a result of excessive delays in construction, $5 million in damages accrued.            

A representative who was assigned to the project reported areas of concern, including instances of overcharging and negligent work.  After reporting these issues, the individual was removed from the renovation project.  The allegation that RCH blatantly ignored the representative’s reported issues contributes to Vergara’s counterclaim that the contractor failed to make necessary repairs and was within breach of their agreement.  Despite arguments from both sides, the two parties had originally agreed to settle their dispute in arbitration.  Instead of moving forward as planned, RCH filed a lawsuit at a time that may be considered strategic, since Vergara was already in the spotlight for her publicized divorce and involvement in the Griselda show lawsuit.